What I've Been Looking For
by Oceano
Summary: What if Edward had gone to Bella? The life of a lonely Arizona girl is about to be turned upside down! How on Earth will the Cullens accomplish such a feat? Edward to Alice: “In case you haven’t noticed, we tend to SPARKLE under the sun...”
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Alice was nuts.

Vampires don't blend in well even in places like Forks, but of course, leave it to my overly peppy sister to make incognito even harder. "This is absurd," I told her lightly, reclining back on my couch with my eyes closed. "In case you haven't noticed, we tend to _sparkle_ under the sun."

"Oh Edward, please?" Alice pleaded with me, her eyes shining brightly. "It'll be good for us! We could use the change in scenery!" This was ridiculous. There was no way she actually came up with this idea.

"We are _not_ moving to Arizona." I told her, an edge creeping into my voice. If this was some sort of joke, I wasn't pleased. "Why on earth would you possibly want to go there?" As soon as the words were out of myself, I berated myself for my stupidity. There was only one reason Alice EVER chose to do anything.

"I saw something really good happen, honest! Oh please please please!" I sighed and tried stealthily to get a glimpse of her vision in her mind, but I was met by intimate pictures of Jasper. Needless to say, I recoiled. Quickly.

"Alice, what are you hiding?" I growled suspiciously. Her smile widened and she winked at me. "That, my dear Edward, is for me to know and you to live out." And with that, she pranced away, undoubtedly to coerce the next member of the family to agree to her preposterous plan. I was tempted to peek into her mind once more, but the thought of more images of Jasper quickly stifled that particular train of thought. As I heard Alice skipping into the living room downstairs, I sighed in frustration, and ran a hand through my hair. My throat tingled, and I irritably got up from the couch in one fluid motion. _I need to hunt soon._

Grabbing my keys from the desk on which they were carelessly tossed, I descended the stairs to hear Rosalie and Emmett's reactions to Alice's news. Rosalie was less than pleased, but Emmett seemed to take it fairly in stride. They had undoubtedly grown accustomed to Alice's visions by now. Alice squealed, and I imagined her smiling happily as she found Jasper. However, she now seemed to be preoccupied by something as were Rosalie and Emmett, and, as I extended my mental reach, Carlisle and Esme as well. Puzzled, I searched through their minds to find the culprit of their distraction, only to find... Oh dear.

Leaving the house quickly, I slid into my Volvo and pulled out of the driveway as fast as I could. I had long ago learned that at the Cullen household, when you heard absolute silence and saw couples retreating to their respective corners of the house, it was simply the calm before the storm. As I continued down the long driveway, noises were beginning to come from the house, and I shook my head to clear their thoughts away. "The least they could do is give me some warning" I muttered.

I drove aimlessly around for a while, and then decided to ditch my car in favor of faster transport. The sun was beginning to peek through the clouds, so I decided to go to the one place that would always be my own safe haven - my meadow. I quietly shot through the trees, stopping at the wide clearing before me. The meadow, which had always looked so pleasant and inviting in the past, seemed to be detached and impersonal today.

I felt the pang of an unknown feeling deep in my chest as I turned away to slowly make my way back towards the house. The meadow no longer held the promise it did for me just a short while ago, and I was puzzled. Perhaps Alice was right, perhaps it _was_ time for a change of scenery. Although for me, I didn't particularly care. Eternity was a long time, and after a while, the days blended into one another. If we left Forks, we'd still be back one day, perhaps in another century or so. Either way, it really was of no consequence to me.

Again the feeling in my chest returned, a dull throbbing ache. I brushed it aside. I had to return to the house to receive Carlisle and Esme's final decision on the situation, and hopefully, the various "activities" in the house had died down by now.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

I cautiously approached the house, waiting to hear the sign for the all-clear.

"EMMETT!" An angry Rosalie screamed, followed by what sounded suspiciously like a 3-inch Armani heel clunking against the head of an 80 year old vampire. I grinned. _Yep, all clear._

I strode more purposefully down the driveway, and opened the door to find my family sitting neatly in the living room with barely concealed grins on their faces, all with the exception of Rosalie, who was furtively staring daggers at Emmett, the toe of a red stiletto peeking out from under the sofa. Everyone was decidedly avoiding my eye. I sighed, "I suppose we're moving, then?"

"You'll like it Edward, I promise!" said Alice a little too cheerfully, as Esme looked up and smiled at me a bit too widely. I was beginning to feel apprehensive. Their thoughts seemed innocent enough, but I couldn't help but feel as though they were hiding something from me. Then Emmett caught my eye and winked, and I felt my heart plummet.

Something was up.

"Ahem," Carlisle cleared his throat, "I believe we've decided to leave tomorrow evening, Edward, so just pack whatever you need and be ready by then. Esme has already found us a nice condo in the city, and we can move right in when we get there." I nodded, still suspicious about what had happened when I was away. Turning, I left for my room, leaving the three couples still sitting primly in the living room. As I reached the stairs, I stopped on the bottom step just long enough to hear excited whispers.

" – _I can't believe it!"_

" – _our little Edward..."_

" – _and we thought he was gay..."_

That last one was definitely Emmett. I suppressed a growl as I climbed the stairs - he'd get what he deserved later.

In my room, I reached down into my pocket to find my keys and fling them on the couch, only to realize in horror that my Volvo was exactly where I had left it so many hours ago. I curse quietly and flung open my door to see a distraught Alice standing before me, wringing her hands.

"Edward, your car..." That was all I needed to hear. I pushed past her and jumped over the railing to land down on the first floor, not bothering to use the stairs. I threw open the door and raced outside, hearing Esme's disapproving clucks behind me as she examined the dent that was now on the floor of the foyer.

I mentally cursed myself for my stupidity as I ran through the woods. How could I have _left my car_ out there? I shook my head, it was no use thinking about it now. I had to find it, and fast. Alice's vision had shown my car to be a tangled mass of metal and spare parts. I gritted my teeth. That wasn't going to happen as long as I was there to stop it.

Ahead of me, metal glinted, and I saw my car, my precious Volvo, exactly where I had left it earlier that afternoon. I breathed a quick sigh of relief, and gave it a quick lookover, not bothering to mask my vampire speed. The sun had decided to emerge once again from the clouds, and I sparkled radiantly in the light.

Suddenly, I heard a rustling sound behind me, and I whirled around, my senses suddenly alert. I scanned the surrounding foliage for the source of the sound, but in the mass of greens and browns, I could see nothing. I looked down the road as well, but it was deserted. I wasn't sure, but was that a low growl I heard?

After waiting a few moments and only hearing silence, I shook my head. _You've been out of it today_, I gently scolded myself. Perhaps a good dose of warm, desert air would be good for me. After glancing around a few more times, I warily got back into my car and headed home. I had been lucky enough to be ahead of Alice's vision, and I was grateful for my sister's talent, albeit not enough for her to be off the hook completely.

That night, I was once again in my room listening to an easy mix of classical and jazz when it suddenly occurred to me what my family had been whispering about earlier. Had Alice seen something about me in Phoenix? What had Alice meant by, "You'll like it, Edward, I promise"? Why had my family acted so strangely around me? What had seemed like such simple sentences then suddenly took on a whole new level of meaning now, and I felt strangely excited as I began to pack.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

I took one last glance out of the window as I rolled down the driveway. The large white house stood proudly as the branches of the trees around it swayed in the breeze. A sudden gust caused the grass to ripple wildly and I tore my eyes away from the place I had called home.

"Coming, Edward?" Rosalie was beginning to get impatient. The rest of the family had boarded a plane to Phoenix several hours ago, but Rosalie and I had decided to drive our cars down. Her shiny red convertible stood out clearly among the muted shades of green and brown, and even from this distance I could see her fingers impatiently tapping the steering wheel as she waited for me.

"Yes of course I'm coming" I replied smoothly, maneuvering my car through the twisted road ahead. We were leaving Forks.

OooOOooOOOooOOooo

I had to hand it to Esme, she really knew how to make last-minute living arrangements work. We were now the owners of a two-floor penthouse right on top of the highest building in the middle of the bustling city of Phoenix, Arizona. Which was all very good - the view was excellent, the rooms were big and spacious, and there was plenty of privacy, especially on the terrace. But there was only one tiny problem.

The sun.

From the minute I stepped into the contemporary suite, I knew we were in for it. The wide, brilliant windows infused every single corner of every single room with dazzling sunlight, and the seven of us simply... sparkled. There was no other word for it - we shone like miniature stars.

And of course, Alice came prepared for it all. She tugged me into the bathroom, ignoring my protests, and proceeded to "treat" me for the sun. The end result?

I came out of there 2 hours later, decked out from head to toe in black. However, I had adamantly refused to dye my hair black, a fact that irritated Alice to no end. ("But Edward, then it won't have the _real_ effect!") But no amount of pouting or huffing could get me to go anywhere near that bottle of dye. Or that mascara. Needless to say, those were the longest 2 hours of my life.

OooOOooOOOooOOooo

Carlisle's lips twitched as he inspected me. "Ah, not a bad look, Edward, really" He said, not quite meeting my eyes. "Umm..." He turned around to see a beaming Alice. "Er.. Alice, are you sure his pants aren't a bit umm... _tight_?" Alice just grinned wickedly. "Nope, I don't think so. Apparently that look is ALL the rage here in Phoenix. She looked at me slyly, "The ladies'll love him." Laughing her tinkling laugh, she breezed by me, stopping long enough at my shoulder to let me hera her thoughts,_ and of course we _all_ know that's what Edward wants..._

I just stared at her blankly.

Carlisle looked thoughtful. "Edward, when you go to school tomorrow, go with an open mind, alright? It's never too late to, ah, try something new"

I looked at him like he had lost his mind. Where did that come from? His thoughts were giving nothing away as he carefully examined his nails. I mumbled something noncommital and stumbled from the bathroom, ready to find a mirror that Alice hadn't covered up (she knew me too well to "dress me up" with a mirror nearby) . . .

"ALICE!!!" I roared, ready to throttle my dear sister. This was beyond ridiculous. It was verging on _cruel_. Probably seeing my reaction in one of her visions, Alice had long skipped away, and was probably out shopping by now. _But wait_, I mused, _she wasn't dressed like me, was she?_ I was determined to get to the bottom of this, but, I realized, I would have to wait until Alice got back. There was no way I was going to school tomorrow like this.

And so I trudged back to my room, and attempted to peel the all-too-tight pants off of me as I hopped around trying to find a decent pair of khakis.

Alice was sooo going to pay.

**Hey! I hope you're enjoying the story so far, because I know I am:) It's really interesting to hear your thoughts on what _might_ happen... And some of my reviewers are getting perilously close . . . But of course, I'm giving nothing away just yet;) It's just the third chapter, after all! I know you want to see Bella soon, and so I guess that'll just have to happen asap, eh? I usually despise author's notes, but I must make this one exception (I know - that's what they _always_ say...) I'm going to be away for the next week, so please don't hunt me down if I don't update! Thanks so much for reading, I hope you stick with me!**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

I stood in the shadows of the tall buildings that rose out of downtown Phoenix, and peered nervously out onto the busy street. _Alice better have been right about this_, I thought to myself darkly.

Taking a deep breath purely as a reflex action, I tried mentally to calm myself down. I hadn't been this nervous - this apprehensive since . . . Well, definitely not within in the 100 or so years I had been a vampire.

I found myself at the edge of the building, its shadow a crisp dark contrast to the blinding glare of the midday sun on the freshly paved sidewalks. I sighed, and took a single step.

OooOOooOOOooOOooo

The sun glared brightly overhead as I strolled down the streets of Phoenix, Arizona. Stopping before an elaborately decorated building, I tilted my head, listening to Alice's high pitched squeal inside my head.

_OOOOh, did it work Edward? _

I nodded and said in a conversational tone, "Of course it did, but you knew that all along, didn't you Alice?" Several passersby turned slightly as they passed, but continued to hurry along the busy street.

_Of course. _I could practically hear the wide grin on her face. _But its more polite to ask._

"Indeed," I agreed. We shared a quiet laugh, and more people turned my way.

"Well," I inquired, "Aren't you guys coming down to test this out yourselves?" No sooner had the words left my mouth, than I heard what sounded like a muffled cavalry charge through the inside of the building.

_As you can probably tell, Emmett's pretty excited about the whole thing_,Alice commented. I grinned, and several more people (they seemed to be Japanese tourists this time) stopped along to sidewalk to observe the gorgeous boy's seemingly one-sided conversation with a telephone pole. I flashed a quick smile at them, and one old lady dug through her purse to find her camera. Roughly translating her thoughts in my head, I deduced something about how her granddaughter could use a strong American boy like me. I grimaced then, and quickly backpedaled, nearly toppling over a small pixie-like figure with short cropped black hair.

My entire family was standing in the glaring midday sun, on one of the busiest streets in all of Arizona. And nobody even turned to stare.

"This is so EXCITING!!!" My small sister squealed, and everyone roared with laughter. Even Rosalie cracked a smile. "Let's go SHOPPING!" At this, the men of the house paled even more so than usual, and slowly edged away.

Alice laughed and grabbed Rosalie, pulling the tall blond along with her towards the nearest store. Over her shoulder, she called back to us, "And don't forget to reapply it every few hours so it doesn't come off!"

_Thank goodness for sunless tanner_, I thought dryly.

**I do believe I received a death threat or two from some of you for leaving you all hanging like that . . . My sincerest apologies - I've thought of a multitude of excuses, but I don't think you want to read them all:) Anyhow, I think that this update answers a few questions many of you had concerning Edward and how his family is able to move around Phoenix freely . . . And no, I'm not planning on turning Edward Goth anytime soon:) So** **I'll try to get my creative juices flowing for y'all, and we'll see exactly where the **_**epic**_** saga of Edward Cullen and Bella Swan in Phoenix, Arizona takes us! Also, if any of you have any insight to what life in Phoenix is like, please let me know! Accurate portrayals are the best kind.**

**Toodles!**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

It was 7 o'clock at night, and Alice had returned with Rosalie in tow, their arms laden with bags.

10 o'clock, and Alice was impatiently calling everyone to the living room.

11, and I stared forlornly at the contents of the bag that had been unceremoniously dumped on my couch.

12 am, and my family and I left downtown Phoenix to go hunting. Alice had been a whirlwind of motion, animatedly jabbering away and casting me odd sidelong glances.

6, and we returned. All raced for the bathroom, determined to get first shower.

It was 7 o'clock in the morning, and each of us sighed as we sat expectantly on the couches encircling the living room.

7:30, and we rose in one graceful motion to glide silently through the door.

As we crossed the foyer of the building to step into the bright morning sun, each of us slung a backpack over one shoulder and smoothly walked onto the sidewalk.

_Yet another day 1 in yet another chapter of our lives, _I silently mused. Not even bothering to hide my annoyance, I sighed delicately as I prepared myself for what was sure to be another year of boring lectures and pointless projects in the life of Edward Cullen, 17 year old male and Junior in High School.

If I had only bothered to read Alice's thoughts that morning, I would have seen how truly wrong my assumption was.

**I guess you didn't like the previous chapter very much? Barely any reviews . . . (broke my heart)**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Phoenix High was a cold, austere school. It reeked of _institution_, of throngs of overly hormonal teenagers making their way through crowded hallways. I wrinkled my nose in disgust, an action that wasn't lost on my siblings.

_At least give it a chance, Edward!_ Rosalie snapped in my head. Her thoughts carried an undertone of resentment, and I was mystified. How on earth was I responsible for this?

The office receptionist was a tall, severe lady with a head of blonde hair that reeked of artificial coloring. Her name-tag proclaimed her as "Georgia", and she regarded us sternly as we introduced ourselves. Her voice was clipped as she explained the rules and regulations of the school. Having heard them at least a hundred different ways from a hundred different schools, my eyes began to wander, taking in the fake bouquets that were placed in vases around the room. Everything in this room had the quality of being forcefully bright and cheerful, and I rolled my eyes.

"Is there anything you'd like to say, Mr. Cullen?" If looks could kill, I'd be dead a hundred times over from the glare she shot me. _The nerve of kids these days! They think that just because they're the _least _bit attractive they can get away with any attitude. Well, I'll teach them a lesson! I'll – _

"Of course not, Georgia. I was merely admiring the artful decor in this room," I replied easily, giving her a winning smile. Her glare faltered. _I'll – I'll – _

Taking advantage of her sudden loss for words, my family and I wordlessly grabbed our schedules and swept out of the office. Only after we turned the corner of the hallway did we stop to examine them.

"Awww, Edward, you don't have any classes with me," Alice pouted. I looked at her in amazement – this had never bothered her before.

"Is there a specific reason that you _want_ to be in a class with me?" I asked her suspiciously. She simply smiled at me. "Well, _yeah._"

I sighed then – I knew her game, and I knew that I'd never win, which frustrated me and sent a flare of anger through my body. "Let me guess, you've seen something '_unbelievably cool_!'" I mimicked her signature high pitched squeal, "and there's no way you'd even entertain the thought of telling me?" Behind me, Jasper growled softly.

Her angelic smile just widened at my obvious frustration. "'Entertaining the thought' alone would tip you off, Edward. Honestly, sometimes I really think you insult my intelligence on purpose." I was about to bite out a snobby retort when all of a sudden, Alice stiffened and a look of pure terror came into her eyes. I curiously turned my head and –

OooOOooOOOooOOooo

_Agony..._

_Torture..._

_Anguish..._

_Torment..._

I clenched my teeth and abruptly turned away from this _assault_ on my senses. The scent was so luscious, so deliciously tantalizing... It was unlike anything I had ever experienced before.

My eyes locked on the source of the smell, a single, breathtakingly pale girl, out-of-place among a sea of tan. Her eyes held the depth of a million oceans as they stared into mine, and her mouth formed a perfectly round 'o' as she registered the pitch black shade of my eyes which betrayed my ravenous hunger.

My mind was in turmoil as I tried desperately to fight the maddening urge to pounce on her; to take her and drain her of the warm, delicious liquid that sustained her life. Something about her was stopping me – I knew that if I had been human, I would have been rendered speechless by those eyes, that lovely, pale, heart-shaped face. Something inside me yearned to protect her; to_ hold_ her, even as I fought to take her life.

Beside me, Emmett was moving. He was blocking my view of the girl, and I had a sudden urge to attack him, to _hurt_ him for getting in my way. My mind was operating on two levels, and I tensed, to pounce on something, _anything_ to clear my senses. Suddenly, a barrage of voices were attacking my mind.

_EDWARD LISTEN TO ME – _

_DON'T DO THIS EDWARD!_

_FIGHT IT EDWARD! FIGHT IT – _

_WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU –_

_OH MY GOSH WHAT IS HE – _

_LOOK AT THOSE EYES – _

I fought hard against the instinct to hunt, and slowly, painfully, regained control. I held my breath, and using my last reserve of stored air, spoke curtly to my siblings. "I'm leaving."

With that, I whirled around and left the hallway, each step costing me greatly as it took me away from the source of the delectable scent. I shook my head to clear away the thoughts as the crowd automatically parted in front of me.

Frightened stares accompanied me on both sides as I raced for the double doors which led to freedom. I mentally cursed Alice for my predicament as I burst outside, breathing in the hot, dry air that only served to intensify my unquenchable thirst. I needed to hunt once again, and soon.

_Her_ eyes haunted me.

**I just had to update again because I felt so bad about giving you such a short chapter!! Hope you like this:) We are finally GETTING somewhere! I'd love to hear any theories and speculations you may have, and if you have any questions, please let me know and I'll find a way to incorporate it into the next chapter if possible:) Thanks for reading!**


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